Mohawk’s 3 pillars: Innovation. Investment. Impact

Posted Date:
9/26/2013

“Mohawk has a long history of innovation in polyester that goes back over 20 years when we began to recycle bottles into polyester staple,” said Brian Carson, president, Mohawk Flooring. “Now, the market has moved to filament yarns but that 20 years of experience has given us the know-how and the capability to create a better, stronger polyester fiber than before.”

He explained that the company’s new Continuum process goes all the way back to the raw materials — using the highest grade PET available for carpet which comes from recycled bottles. Then through various purification processes, Mohawk is able to create a better quality fiber for superior performance.

The next step is to thoroughly scour the fiber to remove up to 95 percent of the oils left over from processing. That delivers not only a cleaner carpet but one that is less likely to attract dirt that can lead to premature soiling.

“Through Continuum,” said Carson, “we have a strong filament that we are able to clean in an enhanced way that gives us a better polyester carpet.” Then on top of that, Mohawk applies Scotchgard Protector Advanced Repel Technology. “We are the only mill to use Scotchgard on polyester filament carpet,” he said.

And yet, in spite of these enhanced attributes, Mohawk is pricing the line to be “fully competitive” against existing polyester goods.

“They all have their place in the market,” he said. “Poly has good stain resistance at a good value but remains very undifferentiated. There is an opportunity for innovation in all categories and Mohawk has been a leader in innovation in all fiber systems,” he said.

“We think the market wants and we think the market needs and we think the market is ready for differentiation in the polyester category,” he said.

“Any consumer would prefer to have a cleaner product choice. They will take that every time. We think that is a great value.”